Apparatus for operating well tools



Dec. 26, 1967 J. W. KISLING lll APPARATUS FOR OPERATING WELL TOOLS Filed Feb. 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 [WED/TOR Filed Feb. 21, 1966 Dec. 26, 1967 J. w. KISLING m 3,360,049

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING WELL TOOLS 3 Shedseet 2 ATTORNEY 1967 1. w. KISLING m 3,360,049

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING WELL TOOLS Filed Feb. 21; 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ./-22 T E K24 I a;

United States Patent 3,360,049 APPARATUS FOR OPERATING WELL TOOLS James W. Kisiing III, Houston, Tex., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Schiurnberger Technology Corporation, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Filed Feb. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 528,973 9 Claims. (Cl. 166-123) The present invention relates to an apparatus for operating well tools and, more particularly, to a setting tool for operating Well tools to be left in the Well bore upon retrieval of the setting tool.

Many setting tools for use in Well bores are operated by explosive devices, or depend upon electrical energy for their operation. Others, though entirely mechanical in nature, are quite complex in construction and, therefore, are diflicult to operate and subject to malfunction.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved mechanically operated setting tool which is simple in construction and positive in operation.

With this and other objects in view, the present invention includes a setting tool which is adapted for connection to a bridge plug or the like and which utilizes rotative and longitudinal motion of its parts to provide oppositely directed forces to the well tool being operated. More particularly, the device includes a selectively operable jaying mechanism which permits the operation of a screw jack in the setting tool. Operation of the screw jack is effective to set at least the upper slips in the bridge plug or the like. After setting the upper slips, tension is applied to the suspension means, which tension is multiplied by a hydraulic force multiplier in the setting tool to complete the setting operation and then operate a shear stud for releasing the setting tool from the bridge plug for retrieval to the surface.

The novel features of the present invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by way of illustration and example of an embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are sectional views of a setting tool embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a bridge plug for operation by the setting tool of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the setting tool and bridge plug in assembly;

FIG. 4 is a developed view of the J-slot and pin mechanism; and

FIG. 5 is a reduced sectional View of the central portion of the setting tool showing the tool in an operated condition.

Referring now to FIGURES 1A and 1B, the setting tool is comprised of an upper tubular body or housing 22 slidably received within a lower tubular housing 24. A radially projecting pin 26 on the upper housing is received within a 3 slot 28 formed in the wall of the lower housing. The J pin and slot are operable to releasably connect the two housing members for relative, longitudinal and rotative movement. Conventional drag block means 38 (FIGS. 1B and 1C) are provided on the lower housing for frictionally engaging the wall of a well conduit to permit operation of the J slot mechanism. An inwardly projecting shoulder 30 with seal means thereon is formed on the lower housing below the I slot and slidably engages the upper housing. A recessed portion 31 is formed on the outer surface of the upper housing. An outwardly extending annular shoulder 29 is formed on the lower end of the upper housing below recessed portion 31. An an 3,360,049 Patented Dec. 26, 1967 nular piston 32 having seal means on its inner and outer surfaces, is slidably received between the lower housing 24 and the recessed portion 31 of the upper housing 22. The annular piston 32 seals the lower end of a hydraulic chamber 36 which is defined by the shoulder 30 on the lower housing and annular piston 32 between the upper and lower housings. A longitudinal passage 33 is formed in the piston 32, the passage 33 being threaded at its lower end to receive one end of a coiled tubing 60 for purposes to be described hereinafter. The annular shoulder 29 on the lower end of upper housing 22 is arranged to move within the interior bore of the coiled tubing and engage an edge of the annular piston 32.

A tubular mandrel 42 is positioned within the interior bore of the tool. The upper end of the mandrel has a longitudinal spline groove 44 in its outer surface for receiving an inwardly projecting spline 46 on the upper housing 22. The mandrel 42 has an outwardly projecting enlarged portion 47. The mandrel is threaded just above enlarged portion 47. An annular piston 52 is threadedly received thereon between the mandrel and lower housing. The annular piston has O-ring seals in its inner and outer surface to define the upper end of a second hydraulic chamber 56, which chamber is positioned below and spaced from the chamber 36 between the upper and lower housing members. The lower end of chamber 56 is defined by an inwardly projecting shoulder 64 on the lower housing 24. The space 57 between the hydraulic chambers communicates with well fluids in the well bore by means of a port 58 in the lower housing. The entry of well fluids through port 58 balances the hydraulic system at hydrostatic pressure. The upper and lower chambers 36, 56 are fluidly connected by means of the coiled tubing 60 which extends between the annular pistons 32 and 52. A longitudinal passage is also provided in the piston 52 and is threaded to receive the other end of the coiled tubing 60. The coiled tubing permits the transfer of the hydraulic fluid or oil between the upper and lower hydraulic chambers. The upper hydraulic chamber 36 serves as a pressure generating chamber while the lower chamber 56 serves as a power cylinder. Before operating the tool, the upper and lower chambers within the setting tool are filled with a hydraulic fluid or oil by means of a filling port 62 in the lower housing at the upper end of the upper chamber. This hydraulic fluid communicates with the lower chamber by means of the coiled tubing 60. Shoulder 64 is threaded in its interior bore 65 to receive a male threaded portion 66 on the mandrel 42. This arrangement of threads on the mandrel and housing provides a screw jack mechanism the operation of which will be described hereinafter. A further inward projection 70 on the lower housing has a seal 72 thereon engaging the outer surface of the mandrel to seal the lower end of the lower chamber 56 below the screw jack mechanism as shown in FIG. 5.

Referring next to FIG. 10, an outwardly projecting shoulder 74 is formed on the lowermost end of the mandrel 42. An adapter sleeve 76 having an inwardly projecting shoulder 78 is positioned about the lower end of the mandrel with the shoulder 78 positioned above the shoulder 76 on the mandrel. A bearing 80 is positioned between the two shoulders to permit swiveling of the adapter member 76 on the lower end of the mandrel thereby providing a swivel joint. The adapter is threaded at its lower end for connection to a tension stud 82 which provides an interconnection between the setting tool mandrel and the mandrel on the bridge plug or the like.

In FIGURE 2, a bridge plug is shown for use with the setting tool of FIG. 1. The structure of such a bridge plug and its operation are set forth in greater detail in applicants copending application Serial No. 356,152, filed Mar. 31, 1964, now abandoned. The bridge plug has an elongated cylindrical mandrel 84 having an enlarged diameter frusto-conical portion at its lower end which provides an upwardly facing shoulder 85. The lower end defines the outer opening of a blind axial bore 86 which extends upwardly along the axis of the mandrel 84 for a substantial distance toward the opposite or upper end 87 of the mandrel. At the opposite or upper end 87 of mandrel 84 a second blind axial bore 88 is provided which extends downwardly along the axis of the mandrel but is termi nated short of the upper end of axial bore 86 so as to form a solid bridge 89 between the two bores. Internal threads 90 within axial bore 88 provide a means of attaching the mandrel to the shear stud 82 depending from the setting tool.

A lower expansible slip member 91 is slidably disposed around the mandrel with the lower end of the slip member in engagement with the upwardly facing shoulder 85 on the mandrel. Teeth 93 around the outer surface of the slip are directed downwardly and the internal tapered surface 94 of the slips diverges outwardly and upwardly.

A lower slip expanding member 95 is slidably disposed around mandrel 84 with its outer surface 96 complementarily tapered and engaged with the inner tapered surface 94 of the lower expansible slip 91. The slip 91 is in the form of a slotted annular sleeve which is expandable outwardly as the expander 95 moves behind the slip.

An elastomeric packing element 97 which has its ends bonded to oppositely directed lower and upper anti-extrusion rings 98, 99, respectively, is slidably disposed around the mandrel 84 with the base of lower anti-extrusion ring 98 resting on the upwardly facing end of lower expander 95. An upper expander and slip mechanism are positioned above the packing element 97 and are arranged as described above with respect to the lower slip and expander.

An actuating and locking assembly 100, slidably disposed around -the upper end of mandrel 84, is arranged to engage the upper slip member as the mandrel moves upwardly therethrough. The assembly includes a ratchetlock arrangement which prevents the mandrel from being forced downwardly after the bridge plug is set. The assembly 190 also includes a tubular mandrel locking sleeve 101 engaging the upper end of the upper slip member. The inner member of the locking assembly 100 is a slidable annular ratchet cone or body lock 104% received Within and cooperatively engaged with a complementarily tapered inner recess 105 of mandrel locking sleeve 101. A setting collar or head 108 is provided above the locking assembly to transmit forces from the setting tool to the bridge plug.

Mandrel locking sleeve 101 is a tubular member having a cylindrical outer surface and an axial bore which is uniformly tapered, as shown at 105, for at least a portion of its length so as to diverge outwardly and upwardly toward the upper end of the locking sleeve to receive body lock 104. The lower end of the mandrel locking sleeve 101 is engaged with the upper end of the upper slip member.

The body lock 104 is an annular split cone nut received within mandrel locking sleeve 1G1 and having an internal bore of a uniform diameter and a downwardly converging tapered outer surface complementary to the inner tapered surface 105 of mandrel locking sleeve 101. The inner bore 166 of body lock 104 is provided with a plurality of upwardly facing ratchet teeth complementarily engaged with a plurality of downwardly facing ratchet teeth 1G7 around the upper end of mandrel 84. This construction permits the body lock to alternately expand and contract as it ratchets downwardly over ratchet teeth 1fl7 until the ratchet teeth finally engage in the set position of the bridge plug.

The slip expanders are initially held in an inoperative position by expansible rings 111, 112 tightly fitted in circumferential grooves around the mandrel and engaged with the slip expanders. One of these expansible rings and both slip members are encircled with expansible bands 113, 114, 115 of predetermined strengths for releasably holding these members in their initial positions to allow the various members of the bridge plug to be selectively operated in response to forces of predetermined magnitudes. These expansible bands replace the various shear pin arrangements commonly employed in such devices and permit the sequential operation of the expanders and slips.

In the operation of the apparatus described above, the setting tool is positioned on the bridge plug shown in FIG. 2. with the setting tool mandrel 42 swivelly connected, by means of the adapter 76 and tension stud 82, with the mandrel 84 of the bridge plug. The lower end 40 of the setting tool housing is positioned on top of the setting head 108 on the bridge plug. The bridge plug is constructed, by means of the expansible bands 113, 114 and 115, so that the upper slips will set first upon relative movement between the bridge plug mandrel 84 and the setting head 108. Additional relative movement between these members will next cause the upper and lower expander cones to longitudinally compress the bridge plug packing element 97 and thereby expand the packing element into engagement with the well conduit. Finally, the lower slips 91 are set whereupon the bridge plug is firmly anchored within the well bore. Thereafter, further continued relative movement between the setting tool mandrel and housing will rupture the tension stud 82 which is positioned between the bridge plug and the setting tool. It is readily seen that the sequence of operation of the various parts of the bridge plug can be changed by a different arrangement of band strengths.

The setting tool and bridge plug are assembled and lowered to a position in the well bore where it is desired to set the bridge plug. Upon reaching this point, the tubing string is rotated to the left and then raised upwardly to un-jay the pin from the J slot and place the pin in position B as shown in FIG. 4. The drag blocks 38 which are attached to the lower housing 24 prevent the lower housing from rotating and moving with the pin 26 on the upper housing 22 during the unjaying operation. When the jaying pin 26 is in position B, the upper housing is free to rotate independently of the lower housing. This rotation of the upper housing 22 is transmitted to the mandrel 42 by means of the spline 46and groove 44 between the upper housing and mandrel.

Right-hand rotation of the upper housing 22, being transmitted to mandrel 42, will operate the screw jack which is comprised of the threaded portion 66 on the mandrel and the threaded portion 65 on shoulder 64 of the lower housing. Upon right-hand rotation of the upper housing and mandrel, the jack operates to apply upward and downward forces to the mandrel and lower housing, respectively. When the tubing string and mandrel are rotated, the shoulder 64 and housing 24 are moved down and mandrel 42 up relative to one another. Rotation of the mandrel is not transmitted to the bridge plug due to the swivel connection therebetween. The relative longitudinal movement between the mandrel and lower housing is transmitted to the bridge plug by means of the bridge plug setting head 108 and the tension stud 82. The resulting relative movement in the bridge plug sets the upper slip and anchors the upper expander to begin the setting operation, the band 113 being designed to permit the upper slips to set first. It is seen that the screw jack mechanism will prevent inadvertent operation of the bridge plug by longitudinal movement of the tubing string alone.

The threaded parts of the screw jack are so arranged that after the upper slip has been set or the well tool has otherwise partially operated, the screw jack threads will disengage to indicate that the upper slip is set or such partial operation is complete. Thereafter, in order to complete the setting operation, the tubing string is raised upwardly. This upward movement or tensioning of the tubing string raises the shoulder 29 to engage the annular piston 32 at the lower end of the upper hydraulic chamber thereby decreasing the volume in the upper chamber 36. This decrease in volume applies pressure to the oil within the chamber which pressure is transmitted by means of the coiled tubing 60 to the lower chamber or power cylinder 56. The pressured oil in the lower chamber acts upwardly on the annular piston 52 and portions of the mandrel therein and downwardly on the portion of the housing member which forms the lower end at the power cylinder 56. The working area on the housing that the fluid pressure in the lower chamber acts against is indicated by the arrows a-a (FIG. 18), this being the area between the seal on the shoulder 70 and the interior bore of the lower housing. The working area on the piston 32 which applies force to the oil in the upper chamber is shOWn by the arrows b--b (FIG. 1A). It is noted that the working area bb is, for example, approximately half that of working area a-a thereby providing a hydraulic force multiplier.

Pressure transmitted to the lower chamber applies force downwardly on the shoulder 70 of the lower housing and upwardly against the annular piston 52 on the mandrel. These oppositely directed forces to the mandrel and housing are transmitted to respective portions of the bridge plug. Since the upper slip on the bridge plug has been set by a prior rotational operation, the further upward movement of the setting tool mandrel is transmitted to the bridge plug mandrel, the bridge plug housing now being anchored by the slips. This upward movement of the bridge plug mandrel further operates the bridge plug in the sequential manner permitted by the bands 114 and 115 until the bridge plug is firmly anchored in the well bore. After the bridge plug is fully set and the mandrel 84 is retarded from further upward movement, continued force on the setting tool mandrel causes the tension stud S2 to fail and thereby release the setting tool for retrieval from the well bore.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for imparting oppositely directed forces to a well tool in a well bore, means for releasably connecting the apparatus to a well tool to be operated in a well bore, said apparatus being adapted for connection with a suspension means, first power means operated by rotational movement of a portion of said apparatus for imparting oppositely directed forces to said well tool to partially operate said well tool, and second power means operated by longitudinal movement of a portion of said apparatus for further applying oppositely directed forces to said well tool to complete the operation of said well tool and to release said well tool from the device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first power means is comprised of a screw jack mechanism.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second power means is comprised of a hydraulic force multiplier operated by the application of longitudinal forces to said suspension means.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said connecting means includes a swivel connection between the apparatus and the well tool to be operated.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first power means is comprised of a screw jack mechanism which is operated by rotational movement of said suspension means.

6. In an apparatus for imparting oppositely directed forces to a well tool in a well bore, a tubular body, a mandrel received in the bore of said body, a tubular housing mounted about said body and connected to said body by selectively operable coupling means said coupling means being operable to permit rotation between said body and housing, means for releasably connecting said mandrel to the well tool, said body being adapted for connection with a suspension means, means for transmitting rotative movement of said body to said mandrel, first power means including a sleeve threadedly coupled to said mandrel and operated by rotational movement of said mandrel for irnpartling oppositely directed forces to said mandrel and housing to partially operate said well tool, and second power means including a hydraulic pressure generating chamber and a hydraulic power chamber together providing a hydraulic multiplier which is operated by longitudinal movement of said body for further applying oppositely directed forces to said well tool to complete the operation of said well tool and to release said well tool from the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said means for releasably connecting said mandrel to the well tool further includes; a swivel connection between the apparatus mandrel and a portion of the well tool to permit relative rotation therebetween, and a weakend member having a predetermined breaking strength.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said selectively operable coupling means includes; a J pin and slot forming a jaying mechanism between said body and housing, with slot being open at its upper end to permit complete relative rotation between said body and housing, and drag block means on said housing for frictionally engaging the wall of the well bore to permit selective operation of said jaying mechanism.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said means for releasably connecting said mandrel to the well tool includes; a swivel connection with a weakened section between the apparatus mandrel and a portion of said well tool; and said apparatus housing is initially spaced from another portion of said well tool and effective upon operation of said first power means to engage said other portion of said well tool.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,715,442 8/1955 Brown 166l39 2,970,650 2/1961 Baker 166124 3,232,347 1/1966 Thrane 166-124 X 3,241,616 3/1966 Cox 166124 X 3,289,766 12/1966 Bigelow 166-139 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner. DAVID H. BROWN, Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR IMPARTING OPPOSITELY DIRECTED FORCES TO A WELL TOOL IN A WELL BORE, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY CONNECTING THE APPARATUS TO A WELL TOOL TO BE OPERATED IN A WELL BORE, SAID APPARATUS BEING ADAPTED FOR CONNECTION WITH A SUSPENSION MEANS, FIRST POWER MEANS OPERATED BY ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF A PORTION OF SAID APPARATUS FOR IMPARTING OPPOSITELY DIRECTED FORCES TO SAID WELL TOOL TO PARTIALLY OPERATE SAID WELL TOOL, AND SECOND POWER MEANS OPERATED BY LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF A PORTION OF SAID APPARATUS FOR FURTHER APPLYING OPPOSITELY DIRECTED FORCES TO SAID WELL TOOL TO COMPLETE THE OPERA- 